IT was a very warm day at the Muchea Livestock Centre last Friday when the S & C Livestock team joined forces with Primaries to put together a special weaner sale consisting of quality local cattle.
Yarding numbers were slightly lower than advertised with a total of 941 head presented in the S & C Livestock pens, including 655 steers and 286 heifers.
Buyers from the feedlot, live export and grazier sectors were in attendance, pushing prices in the S & C Livestock yarding to tops of 385c/kg and $1255 per head.
Overall, its yarding achieved a gross of $821,362.14, with the average price per head sitting at 303c/kg and $873.
There were plenty of quality Euro-cross cattle tipping the scales at 300kg, many of which were knocked down to live exporters, though there were still substantial numbers of British-bred types on offer which were sought after by lotfeeding accounts.
Breaking it down, heifers sold between the wide range of 140-385c/kg and $423-$1251 while steers were a bit more consistent looking at cents per kilogram, these selling between 260-330c/kg and $598-$1255.
One of the standout pens offered on the day was the top-priced pen of heifers which were some stud registered Charolais calves weighing 325kg offered on behalf of the estate of Lesley Millner, Downunder stud, Wooroloo.
These drew the attention of a couple of determined bidders, with Bernard Herrera, Trinity Farm Charolais, Bullsbrook, going the distance to secure the pen of four at 385c/kg and $1251.
Losing bidder David Ellis, Kooyong Charolais, Pinjarra, landed the only other pen of stud registered heifers from this account, paying 300c/kg and $937 for four slightly lighter heifers at 312kg.
The Charolais breed seemed to be the flavour of the day in the top end of the bidding with the overall top price paid on the day outlaid for two heavyweight Charolais cross steers offered by LA McDonald, Serpentine.
Among the heaviest cattle on offer on the day, the two steers that weighed 410kg were knocked down to GB & G Nicoletti for $1255 and 306c/kg.
Opening the S & C Livestock portion of the sale was a pen of 10 well grown Red Angus steers offered by PJ Piercy, Waroona, that weighed in at an average of 407kg.
These were judged as the champion pen of steers in the S & C Livestock yarding, meaning the vendors were awarded five litres of Toromec drench, donated by S & C Livestock.
Kalgrains was the successful bidder on this pen, securing the steers for lotfeeding at 278c/kg and $1133.
Another pen of nine Red Angus offered by the same account which were a little lighter at 386kg fetched a final bid of 290c/kg to cost Springfield Farms $1118.
The biggest offering in the S & C Livestock yarding was from the Kelliher Bros operation at Wandering, which presented a total of 212 head for sale.
The Kelliher presentation was entirely Angus and Angus cross with 102 heifers averaging 246kg and 110 steers averaging 248kg.
It was an even yarding reaching prices between 234-330c/kg, with the heifers averaging 256c/kg and the steers 320c/kg.
The top-priced pen of heifers sold by Kelliher Bros was a pen of 10 pure Angus which averaged 296kg and sold to Ucarty Holdings for 266c/kg and $787, while the top-priced pen of Kelliher Bros steers consisted of nine Angus cross weighing 201kg which cost C & M Spagnolo 330c/kg and $664.
In dollar per head terms, the top-priced pen of Kelliher Bros steers was another pen of nine Angus cross which averaged 289kg and cost an undisclosed buyer 316c/kg and $914.
With another large yarding in the S & C Livestock portion of the sale was Bolinda Vale Grazing, Keysbrook, which presented a total of 84 head averaging 339kg.
This included 64 steers and 20 heifers with Charolais, Angus and Murray Grey blood.
Prices for the Bolinda Vale cattle ranged between 240-306c/kg and $626-$1081.
The top-priced pen of steers from this account included 13 Charolais cross steers which weighed 353kg, costing GB & G Nicoletti 306c/kg and $1081.
Heifer values peaked at 280c/kg and $883 for a pen of four Charolais cross bought by an S & C Livestock account, while dollar per head values went to $918 in the heifer yarding for a pen of 342kg Charolais cross which were bought by Livestock Shipping Services (LSS).
North Dandalup producer GJ Elliott also had big numbers in Friday’s sale with a total of 74 head, the majority being steers featuring a range of Euro and British breed bloodlines.
These sold between 200-326c/kg and $620-$1096, attracting interest from live export and lotfeeding accounts.
Once again Charolais cross cattle sold at the top end, with a pen of nine steers taking the top of 326c/kg and $1042 when they sold to an S & C Livestock account.
The remainder of drafts offered in the S & C Livestock portion of the sale were smaller offerings with live export and feedlot buyers operating on most lines.
Among the smaller lines was the champion pen of heifers offered by MR & SB Mitchell, Oldbury, who also took home some drench donated by agents.
READ MORE:
The champion pen of heifers included seven Blonde d’Aquitaine cross heifers which weighed an average of 255kg and sold to LSS for 282c/kg and $719.50.
What the agent said:
S & C Livestock auctioneer Cameron Petricevich said the quality of the yarding on Friday was first class.
“The cattle presented very well for this sale, with many of the lines being first drafts of the season for vendors,” Mr Petricevich said.
“Given the challenging start to the season, vendors did well to present their cattle in the way they did.
“Heavy steers sold in line with markets of recent weeks and lightweights sold well to graziers and feedlot support.
“Heifers were on the softer side but still in line with current cattle markets.”
